Serena Sutcliffe, Master of Wine

Master of Wine

Master of Wine is a qualification issued by The Institute of Masters of Wine in the United Kingdom...

, (1945 - ) is the head of Sotheby's

Sotheby's

Sotheby's is the world's fourth oldest auction house in continuous operation.-History:The oldest auction house in operation is the Stockholms Auktionsverk founded in 1674, the second oldest is Göteborgs Auktionsverk founded in 1681 and third oldest being founded in 1731, all Swedish...

 international wine

Wine

Wine is an alcoholic beverage, made of fermented fruit juice, usually from grapes. The natural chemical balance of grapes lets them ferment without the addition of sugars, acids, enzymes, or other nutrients. Grape wine is produced by fermenting crushed grapes using various types of yeast. Yeast...

 department, as well as a prominent writer on wine. She is married to fellow Master of Wine, David Peppercorn

David Peppercorn

David Peppercorn is a British Master of Wine, French wine importer and author, known for his books about the wines of Bordeaux and long experience in his field, having collected tasting notes since the late 1950s. He is married to fellow MW and wine writer Serena Sutcliffe. They were the first...

. Joining the wine trade in 1971 she passed the Master of Wine examination at the first attempt and became only the second woman to hold the qualification.

Career

Serena is considered one of the world’s leading authorities on wine. A former Chairman of the Institute of Masters of Wine, Serena was made a Chevalier dans l’Ordre des Arts et des Lettres by the French Government in 1988. She was elected to the Académie Internationale du Vin in 1993 and, in 2002, she received the New York Institute of Technology’s Professional Excellence Award. In 2006, she received the Lifetime Achievement Award from The Society of Bacchus America, and was awarded the title of Chevalier dans l’Ordre National de la Légion d’Honneur by the French Government for her seminal work in promoting and selling French wines.

Publications

She is an internationally recognised wine writer and renowned taster, and writes regularly for many international publications. Besides heading Sotheby’s worldwide wine auctions, she is also a member of Sotheby’s European Board and is a regular lecturer and broadcaster in Europe, the United States and Asia. Her book, The Wines of Burgundy, appeared in its 8th edition in 2005.

External links

• 'The Sommeliers' - a short bio of Sutcliffe